


Our Last Moments

by Ace (Mister)



Category: End Roll (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Drabble, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Long Drabble, M/M, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-11
Updated: 2017-07-11
Packaged: 2018-11-30 22:51:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11473317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mister/pseuds/Ace
Summary: In the last moments of the dream, the Informant longs for company and reassurance.





	Our Last Moments

There wasn’t much left to do anymore. The dream world was in the midst of collapsing, and all anyone could do was wait for the inevitable demise.

The Informant sighed as he laid on the couch and shielded his eyes from the irritating lighting in the infor!Mashun building. Although the indoors of the buildings were untouched from the corruption, the scenery outside was completely distorted from what was once a peaceful town. He turned away from the window, wishing to forget his hopeless situation. If it were possible, he’d just try to sleep through the destruction, but his thoughts kept him occupied and wide awake.

He was lonely and afraid, but he wouldn’t admit it—especially not to Russell. Although they had the same face and voice, there was something about Russell that brought him a sense of comfort that he couldn’t get from self-reassurance. He didn’t understand why, and that annoyed him. Even if he was the Informant, he was still hopeless regarding his feelings.

The Informant turned to his side and refocused his thoughts on what he ought to do in his last moments. Thinking back, he should be proud of what he accomplished. Happy Dream created him to give information and teach Russell to feel guilt—and he succeeded, in spades. Now that the dream was warped into an entirely different entity, he was no longer able to provide any useful information—not that Russell would really ask for it. He had already fulfilled his purpose, thus he was left to be consumed along with the rest of the world.

Ever since the beginning of his existence, the Informant knew he’d eventually disappear along with the dream. He initially accepted that fate, but through his countless interactions with Russell, it became something he dreaded. He shivered at the thought of being separated from his doppelganger. Perhaps his irregular thoughts were because his plane of existence would soon end. Perhaps it was because he too learned to care for others as Russell had, even if the only one he cared for was the splitting image of himself. Either way, there was nothing he could do to avoid the demise. All he could do was wait like the helpless child that he was.

He sighed again in exasperation. It was wrong for him to harbor such emotions; he was created with a specific role, which he already concluded—rendering him as useless as the other townspeople. As the Informant, he wasn’t supposed to have friends nor attachment towards anyone, especially not Russell. They were useless feelings that only served to distract him from his mission, and yet, he couldn’t help but pine for him throughout his stay.

There was no way that Russell would choose to visit him, of all people, in these last moments. The Informant was certain that his lookalike would prefer to spend these times with someone cheerful like Gardenia or someone kind like Tabasa. There was no way Russell would want to stay with someone as pretentious and arrogant as he was. He nearly brought himself to tears, but he squeezed his eyes shut tightly to prevent the waterworks. Anyone who looked at him now would likely not recognize him from his erratic behavior.

As the Informant pushed his knees to his chest, the door squeaked opened. He paid no mind to it, dismissing it as an effect of the corruption growing stronger. No other sounds were heard, so he continued to lay on his side, not even turning his head to the door. He opened his eyes in surprise when he felt a weight on the couch a few moments later.

He looked up and was met with Russell’s usual blank expression; however, there was a hint of sadness in his eyes. It was just his imagination, right? The dream was collapsing and the one person he wanted to see was right there by his side.

The Informant sat up and tried to regain his composure. “Do you need any information, Russell?” He asked in his usual, smug tone. Even in the brink of despair, he still wanted to be of use to the boy.

There was a brief moment of silence as Russell kept his stare on his doppelganger’s face. Whatever amount of fortitude the Informant built up was quickly dismantled with one stare from the other boy.

“No,” Russell finally answered, expression unchanging.

“Then what are you here for?” The Informant asked indifferently. With a hint of hurt in his voice, he continued, “Surely even someone as dense as you would know that there’s nothing I can do for you in this mess of a nightmare.”

This time, there was a longer pause than before. Each moment dragged on for what seemed like hours. Although Russell kept his gaze on his doppelganger, his expression softened over time. The Informant was simply a mess of emotions, wishing that the other boy would just answer him to end the awkward silence. Eventually, Russell sighed and broke the stillness.

“I thought you would be lonely.” Russell spoke with such calmness that it unnerved his counterpart even more, if that was possible.

The Informant laughed nervously. “Wouldn’t you rather be with Gardenia or Tabasa? I’m pretty much you, so coming back to me won’t change a thing.” His fidgeting was uncharacteristic of himself, but he certainly wasn’t used to having someone concern themselves over his well-being. However, part of him squealed with joy that Russell cared.

Russell blinked once and hummed, as if considering his next words. Around them, the building’s walls started to crack. Black liquid oozed and seeped through the crevices, but the two acted as if it were a normal occurrence. To the Informant, only the boy in front of him mattered—not the deteriorating building, not the entire world.

“They’re better off not being around me during their last moments. I’m sure they wouldn’t want to be around someone like me,” Russell answered after the delay. “But out of everyone here, you’re the only who’s real, other than me.”

The Informant shook his head. “Aren’t you forgetting that I’m just a creation from Dreamsend? I’m as real as the rest of this dream. I’m just an artificial version of you. A variation of you that could never exist outside of this world…” He trailed off at the last part and bit his tongue.

“You are your own person. We may have the same appearance and voice, but we have enough differences to distinguish from each other,” Russell answered without hesitation. “And you deserve as care and companionship as any real person would.” His cheeks had a faint glow of red.

“I guess this dream taught you more than just guilt.” The Informant chuckled with his usual smugness, but softened his look once more as he mulled over the boy’s sincerity.

The bookcases in the room started to crack as well. Outside of the infor!Mashun building, there was nothing but an empty void. All that was left of the dream were the two boys and discontinuous spaces within the building—everything else ceased to exist.

Some books fell from a nearby bookshelf, causing a haunting echo to reverberate throughout the last bits of materialization. The Informant’s body stiffened and he tensed at the creeping realization that soon, he and Russell would meet their end. He trembled as he observed the floor beneath them, which began to crack as well. Out of fear, he shut his eyes closed.

It was too soon to say good-bye. He had just gotten to speak with Russell again. It was unfair how it all had to end already.

Warmness surrounded him, and he opened his eyes in surprise at the sudden contact. The Informant squirmed slightly and realized that Russell had wrapped his arms around his waist in a gentle embrace. It was an unusual experience, but he enjoyed it.

“When I was younger, mom used to hug me when I was scared,” Russell whispered into the Informant’s ear. “You seemed like you needed a hug.”

After his initial shock, the Informant placed his own arms around the other boy’s back. He noted just how soft and silky Russell’s hair was against his cheek.

“Hey, Russell,” the Informant whispered back. “I’m glad I got to spend my last moments with you.” He tightened his grip on his counterpart’s back. Once more, he closed his eyes and smiled genuinely—not that Russell would see it from that angle, but perhaps the transfer of warmth would indicate it.

“Me too,” Russell responded with his own smile and closed his eyes for the last time.

The remaining parts of their surroundings shook and crumbled. As the floor dissolved, the boys dropped into the endless abyss, neither letting go of the other.


End file.
